Fruit Of The Vine

[J.A.F._Doorhof]

From: Plexifilm

For Immediate Release

Plexifilm Releases Fruit Of The Vine On DVD

Groundbreaking Super 8mm Skateboarding Documentary/Travelogue

"Fruit Of The Vine is a seminal work of scraped knees, bruised elbows and big air... they find beautiful settings for ragged glory." - Rolling Stone

On November 12, 2002, Plexifilm will release its second DVD, Fruit Of The Vine, a skateboarding documentary shot in Super 8mm by two avid skaters on the quest to ride deserted swimming pools. Fruit Of The Vine is more than a skateboard film: part road movie, cultural document, D.I.Y. manifesto and meditative essay, the film shows the obsession that goes into the gritty pursuit of skating these fabled pools. The DVD contains extra footage and interviews and hits streets on November 12, 2002 with a suggested retail price of $24.95

Documenting the incredible and often dangerous lengths that skateboarders go to in order to ride deserted, empty swimming pools, Fruit Of The Vine is a collection of stories shot in 1999 while directors Coan Nichols and Rick Charnoski traveled from southern California to Seattle and around the east coast in search of pools to ride, some legendary sites having been skated for over 20 years. Not a historical documentary but a lively portrait of everything that comes with skating pools, from quiet obsession to bruised and bloodied knees, Fruit Of The Vine profiles the people who search for, find, break into, and ultimately glean some use out of these haunting pieces of the American suburban wasteland. The film includes interviews with many important skateboarders such as Tony Alva, Lance Mountain, Steve Baily, Steve Alba and Shaggy.

Years of experience in both film and skating has made it possible for Nichols and Charnoski to show Fruit Of The Vine everywhere: from skateparks all over the states to festivals such as the New York Underground Film Festival. The film has also shown at museums such as the Experience Music Project in Seattle, the Wexner Center of the Arts in Columbus, Ohio and the MU Art foundation in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Moreover, Fruit Of The Vine uses the vintage Super 8 format impeccably: the grittiness of the footage perfectly captures the beauty and artistry of the skateboarding experience.

Fruit Of The Vine also features other skate luminaries in impromptu interviews and fearless skate footage including Chris Senn, Pete the Ox, Tony Farmer, Tom Groholski, Mark Hubbard, and the never-tired Pat "The Q" Quirk. The soundtrack blends hardcore punk and atmospheric experimental music such as Bad Religion, The Clay Wheels, Steel Wool, Fitz of Depression, Charalambides and more.

"Nichols and Charnoski have created a definitive documentation of one of skateboarding's least-seen scenes... it certainly conveys a sense of the subculture's subculture." - Transworld Skateboarding

About the DVD Edition:

The film is presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. It also includes over 20 minutes of extra skating footage and bonus interviews with Tony Alva, Steve Alba and Pat Quirk. The DVD also includes a deluxe full-color 8-page booklet with liner notes by Steve Alba and photos by Rhino.

Fruit Of The Vine U.S.A.
1999 65 minutes
Color/b&w
Super 8 mm
1.33:1

DVD release date: November 12, 2002 Catalog No. 002 Price: $24.95 Special Features: Over 20 minutes of extra footage and bonus interviews with Tony Alva, Steve Alba and Pat Quirk, deluxe full-color 8-page booklet with liner notes by Steve Alba and photos by Rhino.

Plexifilm is a New York-based DVD production company and independent film studio founded in September 2001 by Gary Hustwit, formerly Vice President of media website Salon.com, and Sean Anderson, formerly Director of DVD Development of The Criterion Collection. Plexifilm has produced DVD releases such for major film studios and now is distributing DVDs under its own banner. Ciao! Manhattan (1972) is Plexifilm's first release followed by Fruit Of The Vine (1999) a skateboarding documentary shot in Super 8 mm, and Jem Cohen and Pete Sillen's film Benjamin Smoke (2001) on the Atlanta, Georgia musician. Future releases include Sam Jones' feature about the band Wilco I Am Trying To Break Your Heart (2002) and Tony Silver & Henry Chalfant's seminal New York graffiti documentary Style Wars (1983).